Murtha Laughs Off Cheney: At Least He Didn’t Blame Me For The British Pulling Out

Today on Meet the Press, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) laughed off Vice President Cheney’s attack that Murtha’s plan for Iraq would “validate the al Qaeda strategy.” “He didn’t blame me for at least getting the British out,” Murtha said. “I thought he might blame me for that.”

Murtha pointed out that Cheney “just does not listen to what I’m saying.” Cheney ignores the military’s readiness crisis and the fact that “the future threats to this country significantly increased in the last year because we have no ground strategic reserve. … He doesn’t talk about the policy and the results of what I’m saying.” Watch it:

RUSSERT: How does it feel to be linked with al Qaeda by a vice president?

MURTHA: It’s unfortunate that the vice president does not have the argument — he just does not listen to what I’m saying. We can’t send troops into combat without equipment. We can’t send troops into combat without training. We can’t extend them past the one-year boots-on-the-ground policy that they have, and we can’t continue to have them over in Iraq more than a year. That’s what he’s not saying, and he’s not saying our strategic reserve and the future threats to this country significantly increased in the last year because we have no ground strategic reserve. That’s what he is not saying. So he attacks my differences but he doesn’t attack the policy. He doesn’t talk about the policy and the results of what I’m saying.

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RUSSERT: Did he apologize?

MURTHA: Oh, no. He said that overseas. He didn’t blame me for at least getting the British out. I thought he might blame me for that.